A tourist at home

This Easter we’ll be heading back to Spain, but for the next couple of weeks at least, it’s all about appreciating the beginnings of spring in the UK. The first glimpses of cherry blossom, the white buds of the magnolia trees, the birds starting to sing.

The weekends come around quickly and it was time again for our Saturday morning wander through the quintessentially British town of Market Harborough.

Before we set off, two things in the papers had caught my eye. The first was about the burgeoning art scene on the English south coast. Whilst great news for southerners, it had made me a little envious. Living three hours away from the nearest coastal town, I wanted to be part of it! How lovely to be able to nip into independent shops and galleries. And then, the second piece that I’d been drawn to was announcing that this week, 17 – 26 March, is in fact, English Tourism week.

Once in Market Harborough however, I was content. I thought back to the pieces that I’d read and my envy was gone. My early morning wanderlust satisfied, I would appreciate what’s on my doorstop.

I needed to buy a couple of gifts, and there’s plenty of independent shops around to browse. ‘In heaven at home’ , a lifestyle and home accessories store, describes itself as, ‘a shop full of love and lovely things’. It spoke to me.! Once inside, there was a delightful curation of artwork, jewelry, homeware and stationery. What particularly caught my eye was a stunning card of the town (‘Church Street, Market Harborough’) painted by local artist Mikki Longley. A quick Google told me that Mikki has a studio in her Market Harborough garden and runs regular art classes too. Who needs the south coast, when this kind of creativity is just 13 miles from home?

As well as the independent shops, Harborough has more than its fair share of cafés and restaurants – plenty of options to choose from. Whilst Mr Donovan picks a café for the coffee quality, I pick them for the aesthetic. This week’s choice, Milo’s in Bennett’s Place courtyard, delivered on both. The last time we’d been here was on a scorching day last summer when we were desperate for a cold drink and some shade. Today we needed a place inside because whilst the blossom might be blooming, typically for an English spring, the clouds kept bursting.

Milo’s was packed full of people breakfasting. Mental note: next time we choose here, do not have breakfast beforehand. The eggs royale looked particularly tempting. Given that I didn’t order them, I don’t have photos to share. I also thought it would be especially weird if I leaned over to interrupt a stranger’s breakfast to snap away. There’s plenty of photos on their insta…

Our drinks and shopping finished, we did our 10,000 steps around the town, and searched for future cafés to add to our wish list. Given that we’re here every Saturday, we now have a growing notebook of favourite cafes as well as our wish-list of future potentials.

It was a delightful few hours wandering around a delightful town. I shopped local, I learnt about local art, I had a slow morning cuppa in a local café. I took the time to look at my local town through a tourist’s eyes. The early signs of spring reminded me how much beauty there is to be seen and it felt apt that we’d spent our time in this lovely town this English tourism week.